Greiner Invited To USA Baseball Collegiate National Team

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Story Created:
Apr 24, 2013 at 1:07 PM EDT

Story Updated:
Nov 5, 2013 at 2:18 AM EDT

Columbia, S.C. (USC SID) -- South Carolina sophomore catcher Grayson Greiner has been invited to the 2013 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, it was announced on Wednesday afternoon. Greiner was also invited to last year’s squad but was unable to participate due to his recovery from a knee injury.

Training for the team will run from June 21-July 2 in Cary, N.C. at the USA Baseball National Training Complex. Team USA will travel to Japan from July 6-11 and are also scheduled to play Cuba from July 18-23 in various cites in the U.S.

Grayson Greiner is a candidate for the Johnny Bench Award for the best catcher in the nation. He has played in 36 games with 35 starts and is hitting .307 (39-for-127) with 19 runs scored, six doubles, three homers and 28 RBI. He has been phenomenal behind the plate allowing only 13 stolen bases against 20 attempts and has helped with a pitching staff that owns a 3.12 ERA. In addition, Greiner leads the Gamecocks in SEC play with a .339 average (20-for-59)

Since 1978 USA Baseball has been the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport of baseball. It represents the sport in the United States as a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and internationally as a member federation of the International Baseball Federation (IBAF).

Nearly every major national amateur baseball organization in America is united as a USA Baseball National Member Organization. As a result, USA Baseball governs more than 12 million amateur players in ballparks and playgrounds across the country.As the commissioner's office for amateur baseball, USA Baseball is a resource center for its various membership groups, fans, and players. USA Baseball is also responsible for promoting and developing the game of baseball on the grassroots level, both nationally and internationally.

USA Baseball will select its Collegiate National Team based on its Professional Teams selection model. The player pool will primarily be comprised of non-draft-eligible college players. Under certain and rare circumstances, draft-eligible players and players under control with one of the 30 Major League Baseball clubs may be considered for selection to the team. Trials will no longer be utilized to select the team. Players will be named to the 24-man roster on data from 2012 and/or the 2013 college baseball season. A selection committee will be formed to select players for the trials. The 2013 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team field manager, three coaches and one former athlete from past USA Baseball National Team programs will form the committee (other members may also be added to the committee). The director of the Collegiate National Team program will assist the committee by providing statistical information and selection notifications and will serve as the committee's moderator.

The selection committee will first meet as early as November 2012 and will continue to meet throughout the college baseball season, with a final meeting on or around June 13, 2013. The selection committee will continue to follow the college season through the end of the NCAA Division I College World Series. Because the 2013 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team will assemble on June 20, 2013, additional players (alternates) will be selected to the team in the absence of players on the 24-man roster who are competing in Omaha for a national championship. Players who have exhausted their age-specific eligibility to the 18U program from the 2011 18U National Team will also be in the candidate pool to replace players competing in the College World Series. June 29 will be the last day to report to the 2013 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.

New in 2013, the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team will adopt a 24-man roster (12 position players, 12 pitchers). The selection committee may stop selection to the 24-man at a non-binding number and thus give more and better opportunities for alternate players to earn a spot on the final roster during the first 10 days of the tour, June 20-29.